Petra Kvitova fought back from one set down to battle past World Number 1 Angelique Kerber 6-7 (10-12) 7-5 6-4 in a grueling 3-hour and 20-minute epic marathon third round match on a rain-affected day at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open. Kerber has suffered her first defeat since rising to world number 1 in the WTA Ranking.
The first set featured 6 breaks of serve on 12 service games. Kerber broke serve in a 21-point marathon first game but dropped her serve to 15 in the second game. Kvitova held her serve in the third game at deuce before Kvitova and Kerber traded breaks for four consecutive games. Kvitova broke in Kerber’s first three service games to take a 4-2 lead but the German broke back in the seventh game before holding serve for the first time to draw level to 4-4.
After Kvitova failed to convert a set point, the first set came down to the tie-break. Kvitova raced to a 4-1 lead but Kerber fought back by winning four consecutive points to take a 5-4 lead. Kerber earned her first set point but Kvitova saved it with a forehand swing volley for 6-6.
Kvitova saved a second set point for 8-8 with her forehand down the line. Kerber fended off a fourth set point with a forehand return down the line before sealing the 84-minute first set on her fourth set point as Kvitova made her second consecutive forehand error.
Kvitova bounced back by getting an early break in the first game of the second set. Kerber broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2 but Kvitova got another break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Kerber fended off a set point at 3-5. Kerber broke back as Kvitova was serving for the second set at 5-4. Kvitova got her sixth break of the match in the 11th game at deuce and clinched the the second set on her third set point in the next game with a crosscourt forehand.
Kvitova got an early break to love in the first game of the decisive set with a return winner. Kerber faced two break points at 2-4 but saved them at deuce with a forehand winner down the line floowed by her fourth ace. Kerber saved a couple of break points before earning a break point to draw level. In a marathon eighth game which featured a 41-shot rally Kvitova saved seven break points. She hit a volley winner to fend off the seventh break point chance before hitting a forehand into corner to hold her serve for 5-3 in a 14-minute game.
The Czech player earned a match point but Kerber saved it with her forehand for 4-5. Kvitova went up 40-0 but Kerber saved three match points. An exhausted Kvitova felt cramps on her right leg and made a double fault to face a break point but managed to save it. She hit a backhand down the line to earn her fifth match point but committed her 11th double fault. The twice Wimbledon champion earned her seventh match point with a forehand down the line.
Kvitova hit a slice serve into the corner followed by a foorehand down the line to close out the match on her seventh match point to clinch a hard-fought win in one of her best performances of the year. Kvitova took a re-match against Kerber, who won their previous head-to-head match 6-3 7-5 in the fourth round at this year’s US Open.
Kvitova hit 54 winners to Kerber’s 22 but the German made fewer unforced errors (31 to 61).
“I am really happy. The match was really unbelievable and a great fight. Angie is a great fighter. It was a great battle. It was a great battle. I don’t think I played as well as I did today. It was an incredible match. I had a chance to win the first set. I don’t know how I made it, but I am very glad I did. I really had the cramps in the last game. A great win for me to beat Angie. I lost to her the last few times. For me, it’s an amazing match”, said Kvitova.
“It’s always tough to play against Petra. I think we both played on a really high level over three hours”, said Kerber.
Kvitova will take on 13th ranked player Johanna Konta, who edged past Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5 7-6 (8-6). The first set went on serve until the 12th game when Konta converted her third break point chance. After a trade of breaks at the start of the second set, Suarez Navarro got a break in the seventh game. The Spanish player failed to convert three set points on Konta’s serve before the British player broke back to force the match to the tie-break. Suarez Navarro earned three set points at 6-3 in the tie-break but Konta won five consecutive points to win the tie-break 8-6 to reach the quarter final in Wuhan for the second consecutive year.
Number 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6.2 for the fifth time in their 14 head-to-head matches. Radwanska went up a double break to race out to a 4-0 lead but Wozniacki got one of the two breaks back before calling for a medical time-out because of a neck problem.
Wozniacki broke for the second time in the seventh game to draw level to 4-4 but Radwanska held her serve at deuce after a hard-fought service game before breaking in the 10th game to love to win the second set 6-4. After a trade of breaks Radwanska saved a break point at 1-1 in a hard-fought third game before breaking serve in the sixth game at deuce to take a 4-2 lead. The Pole managed to hold her serve at deuce before sealing the second set with a break in the 8th game. Radwanska hit 23 winners to just 12 unforced errors. Woznaicki hit 18 winners to 24 unforced errors.
Radwanska and Wozniacki met for the 13th time in their careers. Woznaicki came back from one set down to beat Radwanka last week in Tokyo and went on to lift the Toray Pan Pacific title.
“I am just very glad to win the match in two sets. Obviously it’s never easy against Caroline and I was just playing very good tennis tonight and I am very happy for the win”, said Radwanska.
Radwanska set up a quarter final against Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat last year’s Wuhan champion Venius Williams.
“We have played so many times against each other, everywhere and on every surface. We have known each other so long. It’s another great challenge because she is in really great form right now, playing great tennis”, said Radwanska.